Among the Pygmies, I suppose, if one of them
grew to the height of six or eight inches, he was
reckoned a prodigiously tall man. It must have
been very pretty to behold their little cities, with
streets two or three feet wide, paved with the
smallest pebbles, and bordered by habitations
about as big as a squirrel's cage. The king's
palace attained to the stupendous magnitude of
Periwinkle's baby house, and stood in the centre
of a spacious square, which could hardly have
been covered by our hearth rug. Their prin-
cipal temple, or cathedral, was as lofty as yon-
der bureau, and was looked upon as a wonder-
fully sublime and magnificent edifice. All these
structures were built neither of stone nor wood.
They were neatly plastered together by the Pyg-
my workmen, pretty much like birds' nests, out
of straw, feathers, egg shells, and other small
bits of stuff, with stiff clay instead of mortar;
and when the hot sun had dried them, they were
just as snug and comfortable as a Pygmy could
desire.

The country round about was conveniently
laid out in fields, the largest of which was nearly
of the same extent as one of Sweet Fern's flower

[[72]]

p071 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p072w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p073

v?